Thou hast multiplied the nation, and to him increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. Isaiah 9:3 (Margin).
“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand.” God’s great covenant declares that “while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest ... shall not cease.” In the confidence of this promise the husbandman tills and sows. Not less confidently are we, in the spiritual sowing, to labor, trusting His assurance: “So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” ...
The wheat develops, “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” The object of the husbandman in the sowing of the seed and the culture of the plant, is the production of grain—bread for the hungry, and seed for future harvests. So the divine Husbandman looks for a harvest. He is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts and lives of His followers, that through them He may be reproduced in other hearts and lives.—Education, 105, 106.
The harvest of life is character, and it is this that determines destiny, both for this life and for the life to come.... Love, sympathy, and kindness yield fruitage of blessing, a harvest that is imperishable.—Education, 109.
From Radiant Religion - Page 82
Radiant Religion
Thought for the Day
Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave,--not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal. Desire of Ages, p. 388